The onset of bilateral necrotising scleritis and marginal corneal ulceration after cataract surgery are described in a patient with diffuse vasculitis syndrome. The finding of immune complexes in this patient's tissue biopsy suggests that they are the cause of a localised primary vasculitis triggered by surgical inflammation. Clinically, this patient's marginal corneal ulceration preceded the s...

PURPOSE CD40 antigen is a membrane receptor that plays a role in the regulation of immune reactions. The expressions of CD40 and CD40 ligand (CD40L) were investigated ex vivo and in vitro in conjunctival epithelial cells, in correlation with HLA DR class H antigen, previously shown to be upregulated in conjunctival inflammatory conditions. METHODS Impression cytology specimens were collected ...

PURPOSE Preservation of the ocular surface barrier requires complex control of epithelial cell proliferation and inflammation mechanisms. The endocannabinoid system may be regulating these processes. Therefore, the authors explored the presence and properties of cannabinoid receptors (CB1 and CB2) in conjunctival epithelial cells. METHODS The authors used immunohistochemistry to detect CB1 an...

Trachoma is the most common infectious cause of blindness and a major public health problem in many developing countries. It is caused by recurrent ocular infection with Chlamydia trachomatis in childhood, with conjunctival scarring seen later in life. The pathogenesis of trachomatous scarring, however, is poorly understood, and this study was carried out to investigate the immunofibrogenic cor...

purpose : to assess the results of brachytherapy in patients with recurrent or incomplete excised conjunctival squamous cell carcinoma (scc) and malignant melanoma. methods : three patients underwent brachytherapy of one eye and one patient underwent brachytherapy of both eyes with ruthenium-106 (ru-106) plaques, all of them had a history of incomplete resection or recurrence of the tumor after...

The role of immunity in blinding trachoma is unclear. Conjunctival gene expression was measured in a population where trachoma is endemic. Proinflammatory (tumor necrosis factor alpha and interleukin-1beta [IL-1beta]), anti-inflammatory (IL-10), and fibrogenic (matrix metalloprotease 9) gene expression was increased in active trachoma. Markers indicative of T-cell response (gamma interferon, IL...

PURPOSE The goals of this study were to investigate whether beta-defensins are differentially expressed in the conjunctival epithelium of patients with moderate dry eye when compared with normal subjects and whether proinflammatory cytokines or bacteria can modulate the expression of human beta-defensins (hBDs)-1, -2, and -3 by conjunctival epithelial cells. METHODS RNA extracted from conjunc...

Introduction To evaluate the expression patterns of cytokeratin (K) 12, 13, and 19 in normal epithelium of the human ocular surface to determine whether K13 could be used as a marker for conjunctival epithelium. Methods: Total RNA was isolated from the human conjunctiva and central cornea. Those transcripts that had threefolds or higher expression levels in the conjunctiva than the cornea wer...

PURPOSE Local proliferation of macrophages has been reported to augment the inflammatory response in various human and experimental diseases. Macrophage accumulation in the submucosa is also an important feature in the pathogenesis of ocular cicatricial pemphigoid (OCP). In the present study, the role of local proliferation of macrophages in conjunctiva affected by OCP and the relationship betw...